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Sorry China, your fur is no longer welcome here. The European Union is getting behind a celebrity-fueled campaign to stop the sale of cat and dog fur from China. Celebrities Elton John and Eddie Murphy lent their names to the petition, along with several high-profile politicians and notable persons. From the article,

“Campaigners have claimed millions of animals are bred for their fur — mostly in China and other Asian nations. However, last December, animal rights group Humane Society International, said it investigated and uncovered dog and cat fur production had taken place within the Czech Republic — a member of the EU since 2004. HSI has estimated around 2 million cats and dogs are killed for their fur each year, with an estimated 5,400 killed in China each day.

Swain said bans such as the ones implemented by the U.S. and others have had positive results. He anticipated the same would occur once an EU-wide ban was enforced. “Trade has already dropped in expectation of the EU legislation,” Swain said.”

This is positive news for our domesticated friends in China; though the view on animal rights there are about as encouraging as those on human rights. While bans are an excellent first step to reduce demand, policing such activities is also required to ensure the fur isn’t labeled and sold as something else. For more information, please click here.